As football fans gear up for the University of Florida vs. University of Miami game on Saturday, one man took it upon himself to remind UM fans that Gainesville is Gator Nation.
Early Friday morning, Gainesville residents awoke to the 34th Street graffiti wall painted over with a mural that read, “Smoke Dem Gators.” The painting showed a gator being roasted over an open fire by the UM Mascot, Sebastian the Ibis. But not even 24 hours later, the mural was covered up in pink paint.
Michael Bobbitt, the playwright of the Broadway show “Florida Man” and owner of commercial real estate appraisal company AEG, said he heard about the mural through some friends on social media and decided to take action.
“Some friends of mine posted pictures of the mural on my Facebook,” Bobbitt said. “So I took it upon myself to fix it.”
Bobbitt, 43, is on the executive committee of the Gainesville Community Playhouse. After the playhouse was going to throw out a five-gallon bucket of pink paint that had spoiled, he used it to cover up the mural instead, he said.
“I figured rotten spoiled paint was totally appropriate to cover that idiotic Hurricane bird,” he said.
By 12:30 p.m. the mural had been completely painted over. Bobbitt has now been nicknamed “Hero of the Gator Nation” on social media.
As Bobbit covered the mural on 34th street, dozens of cars honked and yelled, ‘Go Gators!’ One UF student even pulled over to help him finish the job, he said.
The painting was made by street artist Beau Bradbury. Bradbury was recently featured on CBS4 for a similar painting he did in Miami during a UM vs UF tailgating event.
The Gators will be taking on the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday in Orlando for the first game of the 2019 football season.
The painted over mural, by Michael Bobbit, now nicknamed “Hero of the Gator Nation” on social media.
The painted over mural, by Michael Bobbit, now nicknamed “Hero of the Gator Nation” on social media.
The painted over mural, by Michael Bobbit, now nicknamed “Hero of the Gator Nation” on social media.
The painted over mural, by Michael Bobbit, now nicknamed “Hero of the Gator Nation” on social media.
